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Authors: Leigh Greenwood
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you think it was diViere?”
“When I described him, Nate said it had to be diViere. He’d seen him at the window but thought it was a dream.”
“His window is boarded up.”
“He wanted it that way. Both of you stay here. As soon as I change my dress and fix my hair, I’ll let you in.”
Roberta trudged around to the back of the house. She left her dirt-encrusted shoes on the porch, hung her sweat-soaked bonnet on a peg, unlocked the kitchen door, and went inside. She would have liked nothing better than to cool her head under the pump, but she would have to do with the relief of being out of the sun. She quickly washed up, changed her dress, and ran a comb through her hair. Tugging on a pair of slippers, she went through the house to the parlor.
“Is that you?” Nate called before she reached the door.
Changing her path, she walked to the bedroom. Nate was propped up, his gun in his hand. He relaxed when he saw her. “I guess I don’t need this.” He indicated the gun that he slipped back under the sheet covering him.
“I was hoping you’d be asleep.”
“I was until I heard someone trying to break down the door.”
“That was Russ. I had to tell him about diViere to keep him from kicking it in.”
“What took you so long?” Russ asked when she unlocked the door.
Boone responded angrily. “Roberta doesn’t have to answer to you in her own home.”
“She does as long as my boss is here. The doctor just drove up,” Russ said over his shoulder as he headed toward Nate’s bedroom.
“You don’t have to put up with that man’s rudeness,” Boone said.
“He’s just concerned about his boss.”
“You mean he’s concerned about his job. Nobody else would pay him so much for doing so little.”
“You having a party here?” Dr. Danforth asked when he entered the house. “I hope I’m welcome.”
“You’re more than welcome if you’ve come to get that man out of Roberta’s house,” Boone said. “If you can get him out tonight, you can eat free at the restaurant for a week.”
“That’s a tempting offer, but it depends on my patient.”
“He’s probably pretending to be worse than he is.”
The doctor eyed Boone with a cocked eyebrow. “Why would you say that?”
“Who would you rather have looking after you, Russ or Roberta?”
The doctor winked at Roberta. “I see what you mean, but I suspect Nate would rather not have been shot.”
Roberta’s father often said his bedroom was too big for one man, but it was crowded by the time four people had gathered around Nate’s bed.
“I hope you’re not planning to turn this into a wake,” Nate joked. “I’m not ready to cash in my chips yet.”
Dr. Danforth pushed Russ aside. “It seems I’m the only one not trying to get you out of this house.”
Nate cast an injured look at Roberta. “I’ll see that you get a new window.”
“I’m not trying to get rid of you,” she protested.
“You ought to be,” Boone said. “You shouldn’t have to be responsible for him.”
“She won’t be as soon as I can get him back to the ranch,” Russ said.
“Both of you wait outside,” the doctor said. “He’ll get well a lot faster without you fighting over him. You stay,” he said, when Roberta started to follow the two men. “He’s not going anywhere for the next day or two. I’m not happy with how he’s looking. What’s he doing sitting up?”
The doctor wasn’t any happier when Roberta explained about diViere. “Nate is going to have Russ set up a guard on the house.”
“Don’t let them stand watch in this room. You have to keep Nate as quiet as possible if you want him to go home soon.”
“He can stay as long as he needs to.” Both men stared at her in a way that made her fidgety. “I don’t believe he was one of the attackers. I think he was coming to help.” They didn’t stop staring. “I’m sorry I shot him.” It was a lame ending, but she had nothing else to say.
The doctor recovered
“When I described him, Nate said it had to be diViere. He’d seen him at the window but thought it was a dream.”
“His window is boarded up.”
“He wanted it that way. Both of you stay here. As soon as I change my dress and fix my hair, I’ll let you in.”
Roberta trudged around to the back of the house. She left her dirt-encrusted shoes on the porch, hung her sweat-soaked bonnet on a peg, unlocked the kitchen door, and went inside. She would have liked nothing better than to cool her head under the pump, but she would have to do with the relief of being out of the sun. She quickly washed up, changed her dress, and ran a comb through her hair. Tugging on a pair of slippers, she went through the house to the parlor.
“Is that you?” Nate called before she reached the door.
Changing her path, she walked to the bedroom. Nate was propped up, his gun in his hand. He relaxed when he saw her. “I guess I don’t need this.” He indicated the gun that he slipped back under the sheet covering him.
“I was hoping you’d be asleep.”
“I was until I heard someone trying to break down the door.”
“That was Russ. I had to tell him about diViere to keep him from kicking it in.”
“What took you so long?” Russ asked when she unlocked the door.
Boone responded angrily. “Roberta doesn’t have to answer to you in her own home.”
“She does as long as my boss is here. The doctor just drove up,” Russ said over his shoulder as he headed toward Nate’s bedroom.
“You don’t have to put up with that man’s rudeness,” Boone said.
“He’s just concerned about his boss.”
“You mean he’s concerned about his job. Nobody else would pay him so much for doing so little.”
“You having a party here?” Dr. Danforth asked when he entered the house. “I hope I’m welcome.”
“You’re more than welcome if you’ve come to get that man out of Roberta’s house,” Boone said. “If you can get him out tonight, you can eat free at the restaurant for a week.”
“That’s a tempting offer, but it depends on my patient.”
“He’s probably pretending to be worse than he is.”
The doctor eyed Boone with a cocked eyebrow. “Why would you say that?”
“Who would you rather have looking after you, Russ or Roberta?”
The doctor winked at Roberta. “I see what you mean, but I suspect Nate would rather not have been shot.”
Roberta’s father often said his bedroom was too big for one man, but it was crowded by the time four people had gathered around Nate’s bed.
“I hope you’re not planning to turn this into a wake,” Nate joked. “I’m not ready to cash in my chips yet.”
Dr. Danforth pushed Russ aside. “It seems I’m the only one not trying to get you out of this house.”
Nate cast an injured look at Roberta. “I’ll see that you get a new window.”
“I’m not trying to get rid of you,” she protested.
“You ought to be,” Boone said. “You shouldn’t have to be responsible for him.”
“She won’t be as soon as I can get him back to the ranch,” Russ said.
“Both of you wait outside,” the doctor said. “He’ll get well a lot faster without you fighting over him. You stay,” he said, when Roberta started to follow the two men. “He’s not going anywhere for the next day or two. I’m not happy with how he’s looking. What’s he doing sitting up?”
The doctor wasn’t any happier when Roberta explained about diViere. “Nate is going to have Russ set up a guard on the house.”
“Don’t let them stand watch in this room. You have to keep Nate as quiet as possible if you want him to go home soon.”
“He can stay as long as he needs to.” Both men stared at her in a way that made her fidgety. “I don’t believe he was one of the attackers. I think he was coming to help.” They didn’t stop staring. “I’m sorry I shot him.” It was a lame ending, but she had nothing else to say.
The doctor recovered
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